Obama Girl, Chocolate Rain lead 2nd annual YouTube nominations

NEW YORK - And the nominees include: an obsessed Britney Spearsfan, the Obama Girl, Chocolate Rain and the "don't tase me, bro"guy. The event: the second annual YouTube Video Awards.

YouTube will announce the 12 winners in the video-sharing site'sawards today, recognizing the top-user created videos of 2007. Therewere six nominees for each category: music, sports, comedy,instructional, short film, inspirational, commentary, creative,politics, series, eyewitness and "adorable."

The nominees can been viewed at www.youtube.com /ytawards07.

YouTube spokesman Aaron Ferstman said the winners, voted on byusers, will score "notoriety" and a trophy he described as "veryheavy with a metal base" supporting a "big glass 'play' button."

Ferstman said: "These are the [videos] that really will stand outand over time, you know, you'll say, 'Hey do you remember theLaughing Baby'?"

The music category includes Tay Zonday's "Chocolate Rain," anamateur clip of the Minneapolis musician-turned-Internet superstarcrooning in a low baritone that has garnered nearly 16 million viewssince going viral last year.

Zonday's competition: Comely singer-songwriter Mia Rose; R&Bchanteuse Lisa Lavie; a beat-boxing harmonica player; the "ScraperBike" rappers; and "the vegetable orchestra," featuring a jamsession with a carrot flute and squash drum.

Amber Lee Ettinger, also known as Obama Girl, whose "I Got ACrush On Obama" clip has been seen more than 7 million times, is upfor best political video, along with a dorm room interview with RonPaul and one dude's plea to college students to "wake up" and joincampus protests.

Ferstman said there was a close race within the political andcommentary categories.

Chris Crocker, who shot to stardom in his video freak-out overSpears' public meltdown, is nominated as in commentary, along withMichael Buckley of the popular online series "What the Buck?"

The clip of a University of Florida student pleading "Don't taseme, bro!" as police removed him from a John Kerry forum is nominatedfor best eyewitness video. It has staunch competition in the epic"Battle at Kruger," which has drawn more than 26 million views toits astonishing footage of a baby water buffalo surviving an attackby lions - and a crocodile! - in the African prairie.

"The nominees were viewed nearly a quarter-billion times," saidFerstman, who noted the site considered the "watercooler effect"when selecting this year's finalists.

He said YouTube might one day hand out the awards at an actualceremony.

"We're kinda thinking about maybe doing [that] in the future," hesaid. "It's been two years, and it's been really successful online,but who knows what the future might hold?"